The then-Manitowoc resident was running a successful advertising business but wanted to open a campground in Door County, where he spent summers with his family.

Haag was aiming for not just an ordinary campground, but a campground that would offer convenient, family-friendly amenities and activities not seen in most campgrounds of the time. He also envisioned a concept that could be marketed as a chain of campgrounds with locations across the country.

That dream became the first-ever Jellystone Park, which opened July 4, 1969, on the southwest side of Sturgeon Bay with a costumed version of cartoon star Yogi Bear on hand to mingle with what turned out to be an overflow crowd of campers.

The local campground grew into the national chain Haag envisioned, with more than 80 independently owned Jellystone Parks now in 30 U.S. states — including the in-state locations in Wisconsin Dells, Fremont, Fort Atkinson, Caledonia and Warrens — and five Canadian provinces as part of a franchise network.

The Jellystone that started it all is still going strong as it celebrates its 50th anniversary with special activities Saturday.

The golden anniversary party at Door County's Jellystone Park includes speeches by members of Haag's family, a free hot dog cookout and anniversary cake, an evening dance to DJ music, and a glowstick parade to a fireworks show to wrap up the festivities.

The anniversary activities are aimed at the park's campers, who bring tents or trailers or can rent a trailer or cabin. However, those who aren't camping for the weekend can attend by purchasing a day pass, which the park offers regularly for those who might want to play mini golf, swim in one of its three recently refurbished pools, visit the nearby beach, watch a movie or cartoons — yes, of course, "Yogi Bear" cartoons are among them — attend nature programs with park rangers, take in the evening campfire and enjoy other special activities and amenities.

Haag retired from the business in 1979 and passed away in 2018, but Jim and Jill Kavicky are keeping alive the family aspect that Haag strove for at the Door County park.

Jill and Jim Kravicky have opened and operated Door County Jellystone Park since 2002. Seen outside the general store and game room with camp symbol Yogi Bear, the park, the first in the Jellystone network, celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend.(Photo: Courtesy of Leisure Systems, Inc.)

The Kavickys have owned and operated the local campground for 17 years, buying it from Dick and Sylvia Himes, who ran it for 23 years before them. They've updated and upgraded the park over the years, of course (such as the swimming pools), but while other Jellystones have added flashy, modern perks such as water parks, Door County Jellystone's offerings are similar to those it offered when it opened 50 years ago.

The Kavickys also set overnight "quiet hours" and a 1 a.m. curfew and don't allow skateboards, ATVs or other small motorized vehicles as a way to keep things safe for families and children.

"I guess we're more laid back here ... We have campers tell us they come here to relax, they don't want to worry about what their kids are exposed to," Jim Kavicky said. "Every campground has its own atmosphere. (Here) the focus is on family, on entertaining yourself as a family. We're here to facilitate that."

That focus apparently met with Haag's approval, according to a press release from Leisure Systems, Inc., the Ohio-based franchiser for Jellystone Park.

“(Haag) came here and looked around and said, ‘This is exactly what I envisioned, families camping and having fun together at the park,’” Jill Kavicky said about a 2016 visit, the press release said. “He thanked us for leaving it just as he always felt it should be.”

Some families evolve their visits into annual camping trips through the generations, Jill Kavicky said. About a dozen families will have three generations staying at Door County Jellystone, and three- and four-generation camping vacations occur at other Jellystones, said Leisure Systems COO Rob Schutter. He added that the system is seeing a rise in grandparents who bring along grandchildren for a vacation.

"They find camping is a generational experience in itself," Schutter said. "It almost becomes a family reunion, they all grew up with it. I think a lot has to do with the nature aspect of the parks, as well as the activities."

Schutter said the idea works because the parks strive to combine nature with convenience.

"We went about creating an element that had the comforts of home but also had elements of camping, like having a campfire, not having to clean up after it," he said. "We also found ourselves being able to offer a lot of different things to people who normally don't consider camping as an activity. It's not just about camping. It's about creating an experience, creating memories."

Guests make use of the three swimming pools, all recently refurbished, at Door County Jellystone Park, which celebrates its 50th anniversary as the first park in the Jellystone network.(Photo: Courtesy of Leisure Systems, Inc.)

The Kavickys understand the family experience at the campground, because they camped there long before they bought it. Jill Kavicky's family came from Illinois to stay at Door County Jellystone every summer when she was young, starting in the 1970s, and that continued after she married Jim (also from Illinois) and they had their three children.

The family theme continued as the children worked at the campground for their parents; two of them are still involved.

"At the time (we bought the park), they were about 11, 13, 14," Jim Kavicky said. "They had fun here, so we said, 'hey, how'd you like working here, seeing your friends every day?'"

The bear was a necessity

Adding to the fun and family feeling is the bear whose face and antics has been part of Jellystone since it first opened.

According to Leisure Systems, Haag had the idea for a family-oriented campground in his head but couldn't come up with a name and concept that would have appeal to a mass national market. Until he noticed his children watching a popular syndicated cartoon.

“Nothing really hit me,” Haag said in a 2014 interview for Leisure Systems, “until one day when I heard my kids listening to Yogi Bear on TV. I thought, ‘That’s it!’ And the Jellystone Park concept was born.”

Produced by Hanna-Barbera from 1961 to '62, "Yogi Bear" cartoons featured the titular bear and his sidekick, Boo-Boo, living in Jellystone Park and usually attempting to steal picnic — well, as Yogi says, "pick-a-nick" — baskets from under the nose of campers and the beleaguered Ranger Smith.

Haag realized that having a popular cartoon character that lived in a camping park become the symbol of his campground would appeal to children and families. After lining up investors, he worked out a deal with Screen Gems, which licensed Yogi Bear products, to open Jellystone Park and feature the cartoon's characters.

Yogi Bear visits with campers at Door County Jellystone Park in the photo from the 1970s. The Door County campground, the first in the Jellystone network, celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend, and Yogi continues to visit campers daily.(Photo: Courtesy of Leisure Systems, Inc.)

The cartoon's 33 original episodes lived on in syndication for years and now can be seen on the Boomerang cable network. Several Yogi Bear movies have been made over the years, most recently a 2010 live action/CGI release with Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake providing the voices for Yogi and Boo-Boo.

Yogi Bear makes daily appearances at Door County Jellystone and the other parks, joined by Boo-Boo and other characters from the show at some sites, to meet families and, naturally, try to steal their pick-a-nick baskets.

It might seem odd for a Jellystone Park to continue to hang its hat on the popularity of a character whose prime viewing days passed long ago. But Yogi continues as a main attraction for a reason, the Kravickys said.

"The Yogi Bear character really does bring an element of friendliness," Jim Kravicky said. "The people, the family members are drawn to him."

"People have that sense of nostalgia," Jill Kravicky said. "They know if Yogi's out there, it's a friendly environment. (The kids) love him, they can't wait to meet him."

Yogi doesn't appear to be leaving anytime soon, as the combined Jellystone Park locations set a new revenue record for the system last year, according to Leisure Systems, and it's ranked among the top franchise opportunities in the country by Entrepreneur magazine.

It all started in Sturgeon Bay 50 years ago, and Schutter said Door County Jellystone and the way it's operated by the Kavickys continue to set a model for the other franchises.

"Their customer service is unparalleled," Schutter said about the Kavickys. "They take great care making sure the customer is always entertained, and that's what (Jellystone Park) is meant to be ... They epitomize what it is to be a Jellystone operator. It's remained an icon."

FYI

Door County Jellystone Park is at 3677 May Road, Sturgeon Bay. The public is welcome to attend its 50th anniversary celebration Saturday; day passes for visitors are $6.50 for adults, $5.50 ages 12 to 18, $3 ages 11 and younger and are good until 10 p.m. For more information, call 920-743-9001 or visit doorcountyjellystone.com.

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